The Cat's out of the Bag
by simonesummers
Summary: Alya has noticed some changes in Marinette that have her worried- and as her best friend, it's her job to figure out what's going on! Right? Marinette struggles with balancing two identities and her stinking, fat crush on Adrien Agreste. Adrien can't help but notice some similarities between his "such a good friend" Marinette and Ladybug. Nino loves food and his girlfriend.
1. Chapter 1: Mystery Abs

Chapter 1: Mystery Abs

Of all the things that could potentially happen in her life, the one thing Alya would not allow was the recent deterioration of her best friend's health. Over the past few months, Marinette had been late to class repeatedly, stumbling in well past the bell.

At first, she had assumed Marinette was simply catching up on sleep, but the telltale bags under her eyes told a different story. As Miss Bustier turned to write something on the classroom board, Alya took the opportunity to glance to her right where Marinette was seated, just starting to nod off in the middle of the lesson. Alya poked her shoulder gently, causing a startled Marinette to jump up, alert.

Nino, who had been glancing back, stifled a chuckle, causing Marinette to blush a deep shade of pink. Alya shot him a "shut it" look, in response to which he quickly turned around, valuing his life in the face of an angry Alya. Marinette silently mouthed "thanks" to her friend, sitting up a bit straighter as to not fall asleep again. Five minutes later, Marinette needed to be woken up again. Alya knew she needed to talk to her about this.

As the bell rang for lunch, Marinette groaned and lay her head down on the desk, looking up at her worried friend.

"Thanks for getting me through that." She sighed, "I've just been crazy busy recently."

"Yea, girl, we need to talk about that. What is going on with you?"

Marinette glanced forward, eyeing the two boys packing up their bags.

"I actually need to run home during lunch, can we talk later? Are you free this evening?"

"Yes! Perfect. I'll swing by your bakery and we can catch up on our work, eat some dessert, have some girl talk, eat more dessert…" Alya trailed off, as Marinette laughed.

"That sounds great! It's a date."

"What's a date?" Nino quickly turned, wriggling his eyebrows in Alya's direction.

"Not you, silly." Alya shot back, rolling her eyes as he made a comical pouting face. "Mari and I are just going to her bakery after school to eat her mom's famous almond cookies that you love soooo much."

"No fair! You know I can't resist Mrs. Chang's cookies. Mari, can we come too?" Nino quickly asked, roping his arm around a surprised Adrien, who had been silently listening to the conversation.

"Sorry, I'll need a raincheck, I have a shoot later for my dad's latest line." Adrien apologized, releasing himself from Nino's tight grip.

"Definitely next time!" Alya agreed, smiling warmly at him, to cover up for the starry-eyed look that Marinette got whenever Adrien opened his mouth. "And either way, this is a girl's only trip. You'll just have to hope your wonderful, kind, giving girlfriend can find the strength within herself to bring you some of those cookies later tonight."

"Will my wonderful, kind, giving girlfriend please bring me some cookies?" Nino asked, grasping her hands in a desperate plea.

"What do you think, Mari, should I bring him some cookies?" The question jolted Marinette out of her Adrien-induced coma.

"Of course you can have some cookies, Nino! I'll pack some in a to-go bag for Alya to take with her." Marinette agreed. Alya suddenly had a thought.

"Adrien, do you want Marinette to bring you anything? She's going home for lunch, and I think you're the type of man who knows a good croissant when you see one."

As if he had timed it, Adrien's stomach growled loudly, causing Nino to laugh raucously. Adrien ignored him and turned excitedly to Marinette, eyes as wide as saucers.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would love a croissant! Hold on a sec, I have my wallet-"

"NO! I mean, yes! I mean, I'll bring you some, but don't worry about the cost. We always have a couple left at the end of the day, so.. so….It's no problem at all!" Marinette interjected, looking extremely proud of herself for getting through the sentence without major issue. Her face, however, was still reminiscent of a tomato. Adrien flashed her a smile that Marinette would argue could cue all ailments in France.

"I can't wait! You're the best, Marinette."

Alya could see Marinette's mind exploding at that point, so she quickly grabbed Mari's bag and hand, dragging her friend towards the door.

"Well, have a nice lunch, boys. We'll see you later!" Alya playfully kissed Nino on the cheek as they passed by, winked at Adrien, and pulled Marinette out the door of the classroom.

"So are you.." Marinette's delayed reply came, not realizing just quite yet that Adrien was no longer in front of her.

"Girl," Alya chuckled, releasing her friend's hand and shaking her shoulders to bring her back to reality, "You've got it BAD! Now run home, before lunch is over!" Marinette waved as she ran off in the direction of her parent's bakery, and Alya sat down on the steps of their school to eat her lunch.

Now that Marinette had left, Alya's thoughts wandered back to her friend and her recent issues with sleep and truancy. Those weren't the only changes Alya had noticed. She couldn't hide her impressed astonishment when she saw Marinette's newly toned abs, arms, legs, and basically everything else. Alya couldn't believe her tiny friend had buffed up so quickly. When she had asked about it, Marinette had nervously attributed her fitness to a new pilates class. Alya had done pilates before though, and she knew there was not a single class in Paris that could get her those abs.

Frustrated that she couldn't understand what was happening with Mari, Alya took a big bite of her sandwich, gulped it down, and settled in, looking up at the skyline. This was a habit she had formed ever since Ladybug and Chat Noir had made their debut, in hopes she'd see them soaring from building to building. She certainly wished she could help out Marinette. She wanted to be able to assist her friend, just like Ladybug helped the citizens of Paris. She had to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

Marinette was still trying to get her breathing under control when she heard a small, hushed voice coming from her purse.

"This is so exciting, Marinette! You did such a good job talking to Adrien!"

"Tikki! He wants me to bring him croissants! This is the best day ever!" Marinette squealed, earning her some concerned glances from onlookers who assumed she was talking to herself. Hardly containing her eagerness, she ultimately sprinted home, mentally preparing herself for the immense task of picking out the most perfect croissants in the bakery.

* * *

As the lunch break drew to a close, Marinette found herself carefully navigating her way back to school, arms full of stacked boxes brimming with freshly made croissants. What had started as finding one croissant for Adrien had turned into her not being able to pick and bringing three dozen instead. This decision, however, greatly reduced the distance she could see in front of her, as the boxes went up to her face. This led to an inability to see whoever grabbed the top box out of her arms when she nearly tripped on the stairs to the school.

"Need a hand, Marinette?" Adrien's distinctive voice carried over the boxes, and she turned to see that he had taken off the top box.

"What is all this?" He asked.

"Adrien! Uh, these are… the croissants?"

"Oh! Wow! All of these are croissants? This is incredible!" he complimented her. She blushed but maintained her composure as Adrien took another box out of her arms. Ever since Adrien had taken her to sneak into the movies while hiding from his fans, she had found it much easier to get out sentences in front of her dream boy.

"Thanks, Adrien," she said, happy for an excuse to say his name, just for the thrill of it.

"By the way, did you ever get a chance to see the rest of your mother's movie? We got interrupted last time at the theater…" she trailed off, realizing this may not be an easy topic for him.

"Oh, yeah, it was great!" he quickly replied, giving Marinette an instant sense of relief. "My dad actually watched it with me…it was really special spending some time with him." Adrien realized he had said a lot of personal information and reddened slightly. "Thanks again for that day, I'm really sorry you got tangled in all of that!"

"Yeah, it was fun! I was glad I ran into you. It's too bad the movie got cut short by that akuma."

"That was pretty scary," Adrien frowned momentarily, but then smiled, "but we should definitely make up for our missed movie another time! Would you want to see a mov-"

"Adrikiiiiiiiins!" Chloe, who had been standing nearby, interrupted him and ran up to take a box out of his hands, quickly opening it to peer in at the pastries. "Did you bring croissants just for me? How did you know I loooooove pastries almost as much as I love to see you?" she added, fluttering her eyelashes and drawing out her words, to the chagrin of Marinette.

"Oh, hey Chloe," Adrien responded, "Actually, Mari made these for me. You can have one if you want." He returned his gaze to Marinette who was still processing the fact that he had called her 'Mari'.

"Ugh, no thanks. I don't need pastries from her. I'll see you in class, Adrien." Chloe set the box back onto Adrien's stack, then directed a scathing look at Marinette before turning away and stomping off toward class. Adrien chuckled.

"Sorry about that, Marinette. Chloe can be… eccentric sometimes."

"No worries. That was actually pretty tame for her. I've been expecting much worse from her after the paparazzi called me your girl…friend…" Marinette trailed off, not meaning to have said the last part. The tomato hue of her face was quickly returning. Adrien kept looking forward but was also sporting a tint in his cheeks.

"Haha, yeah… I could see that bothering her…" he awkwardly chuckled.

"MARINETTE BROUGHT SNACKS!" Nino yelled suddenly from across the school yard, cutting off their conversation. Nino ran faster than Adrien had ever seen his friend run, just to reach the enticing boxes. Alya quickly followed. Mouth full of croissant already, Nino gave out a muffled moan of delight.

"Deesh ar tha besht, Marinat." Nino attempted to say, already picking out a second croissant. Alya glanced between the two, noticing their red faces. She smirked wickedly.

"What were you two talking about?" She asked, covering up her intentions with a feigned curiosity.

"Alya!" Marinette whispered sharply, but Adrien, as usual, kept calm.

"Oh! I was just saying that we needed to go back to the movies since the last one we saw was interrupted by that akuma attack the other day!" he recalled brightly.

Alya couldn't help but smile. It would be all too easy.

"Well, are you two free this weekend? Nino and I were going to see that new superhero movie that just came out, you should come with us!" Alya offered.

"Wait, we had plans to see-OoF!" Nino was quickly cut off with a swift elbow to the ribs.

"We were going to get dinner on Saturday at 6 and then see the movie afterwards. You two in?" Alya prompted with a smile, first looking at Adrien.

"I'll have to ask my dad, but I think I actually might be free! I don't have work this weekend!" Adrien exclaimed, unaware of the puppeteer Alya at work. Marinette on the other hand, was not so easily fooled.

"Are you sure you two want us tagging along?" she asked.

"DEFINITELY. ABSOLUTELY. So we're set? Perfect! I'll text you guys the details later tonight."

Marinette sighed. She loved Alya, and she was very excited for the chance to see another movie with Adrien, but her obvious attempts at makeshift double dates were starting to rub Marinette the wrong way. It would only be a matter of time before Adrien realized what Alya's intentions were for them. Then again, the whole-hearted excitement in Adrien's expression quickly dismissed any grievances Marinette could ever have for her meddling best friend. The weekend, it seemed, would be a good one.

* * *

Notes:

Hello! I hope this story makes you smile. I want a ML universe where Adrien and Marinette aren't entirely oblivious to similarities between their identities as superheroes vs civilians. I adore Miraculous Ladybug and the stories written by fans. My take on a pre-and post-identity reveal, canon-compliant story that avoids things I don't like in fanfiction, such as overly dramatic storylines, using the word "orbs" for eyes, and Mari and Adrien being oblivious.  
Updates will likely be slow, as I am a graduate student. Hopefully, this speaks well for my writing though? Eh, I try.


	2. Chapter 2: Secrets Slipping

Chapter 2: Secrets Slipping

The ending school day was met with a warm, afternoon glow settling over the city. Street markets were getting ready to close shop, and the promise of a coming twilight filled the busy streets of Paris with a tangible buzz. Just down the street from their school, the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie was open for business, inundated with recently released students and their expectant empty stomachs. Marinette and Alya were therefore met by a crowd at the door when they finally arrived home.

"Welcome home, sweetie!" Sabine called, covered in flour and waving at Marinette as she made her way through the entrance and waded through the school children toward the counter. Marinette slid behind the counter with Alya in tow, gave her parents both kisses on the cheek, and quickly went to set down her bag. Alya snorted at her friend; kissing her mom's white-dusted cheek had gotten a fair amount of flour on her own cheek by her ears.

"Do you need any help with the afternoon rush?" she called, already reaching for an apron.

"That's okay honey, you and Alya can go relax upstairs. Your mother and I've got it." Tom replied, greeting Alya with a nod in the process.

"Oh, okay. Feel free to call me down if you change your mind, we'll just be doing homework upstairs!" Marinette grabbed her school bag once more, snatched a couple of cookies for a certain kwami in her purse, and followed Alya up the stairs to the Dupain-Cheng residence. They went up one more flight into Marinette's room and were greeted by a relaxing calm in comparison with the bakery, along with the distinctive features of Marinette's bedroom, starring shades of pink and tasteful photos of Adrien Agreste.

Marinette threw her bag down by her desk, hung her purse carefully on a wall hook, and hurled herself face-first onto her chaise lounge with a satisfying plop. Alya followed suit and took a seat in her desk chair.

"I could sleep for three days straight." Marinette said in a muffled tone as she spoke into her pillow. Alya giggled and rolled her chair over to the lounge, where she tickled Marinette on her sides.

"If you slept for three days straight, you'd miss your date with Adrien this weekend!" she reminded her friend.

"Yeah, along with you and Nino. Speaking of which, you've got to try to be at least a little subtle in your matchmaking attempts. It's getting a bit ridiculous! Adrien will definitely think I have a creepy, huge crush on him!" Marinette groaned, hands sliding down her face in shame.

"And that would be a bad thing because...?" Alya snickered. "Listen Mari, Adrien is cute and kind and basically a perfect gentleman, but at this point if he doesn't have the faintest clue that you like him, I don't know what's rattling around in that pretty, blond head of his."

"Do you think he knows?!" Marinette asked, jolting upright and looking extremely alarmed.

"Chill, girl, chill. It's fine. I think Adrien likes you too, we'll just have to see."

Marinette sank back down into her chair and stared at the ceiling, allowing her eyes to droop shut.

"Hey Mari," Alya added, "before you take a nap, we need to talk."

"Sure! Everything okay?"

"Well," Alya started, still deciding what she was going to say, "Mari, to be honest, I've been worried about you. Recently, you've been coming in to class late, you aren't getting any sleep…every time an akuma attacks the city you disappear, and I freak out! I mean seriously, what if you got hurt? And not to mention, you look like you're ready to be in the Olympics, I still can't get over your legs…" Alya trailed off, focusing her gaze on Marinette's impressive calf definition.

"I know, that …uh…pilates class has been really kicking my butt." Marinette laughed apprehensively, fumbling with the fringe on her pillow.

"Mari, come on. I'm not as easily fooled as Adrien. I may not know what's going on, but I know you're hurting. I just really want to be there for you. Please, if you can, just help me understand what's going on. Let me help." Alya's voice quavered toward the end. She was visibly upset.

"Alya…" Marinette trailed off, with anxiety, regret, and fondness clouding her expression. Marinette knew her recent career as Paris's favorite superhero was putting a strain on most of her relationships. It was becoming easier and easier to lie to people, and she hated it. Most of all, she hated doing it to Alya. Glancing over at her purse where Tikki was hidden from view, Marinette bit her lip as she contemplated the consequences of revealing her identity. She knew she could trust Alya with her life; she had chosen her to be Rena Rouge for a reason. But she hadn't even told Chat Noir her identity, and he had been her trusted companion throughout some of the most hectic months of her life. Marinette sighed. Perhaps one day she could tell Alya, but now was not the time.

She reached forward and took her friend's hands in her own. "This will probably sound really frustrating. I can't keep lying to you like this, but… I can't tell you the truth either. You're my best friend, Alya, and I want more than anything to be able to tell you everything. Just right now, you have to trust me. I'm okay. I'm safe, and I love you for caring about me so much. Thank you."

Alya didn't look satisfied with that answer. In fact, Marinette's answer only heightened Alya's state of alarm.

"Fine. Just… just remember that I'm always here for you." Alya said, feeling dejected.

The girls fell into an uncomfortable silence that persisted for much of the remainder of their visit. Marinette's best kept secret was tearing her heart apart.

"Oh Tikki, what should I do? Sometimes I just wish I could tell my friends, my parents, everyone, but I can't!" Marinette moaned, leaning up against the railings of her rooftop terrace. Alya had already left with her cookies for Nino. She had left much earlier than previously planned.

"I'm so sorry, Marinette. This must be really hard on you." Tikki sympathized, flitting around her ear and caressing Marinette's cheek. Tikki noticed some flour on her cheek and tried to remove it, but to no avail.

"You know, Marinette, I'm sure if you talked to Master Fu, maybe he'd think it's time to share your identity with some of your loved ones. It can be really hard living a double life without having someone to share both sides of it."

Marinette smiled weakly, returning her affection to Tikki with a nuzzle on the cheek.

"That's why I have you, Tikki!"

"Oh, you're so sweet, Marinette. But you know what I mean. Besides, it's been a while since I've seen Plagg!" Tikki giggled.

Marinette feigned a gasp.

"Tikki! All along, you have ulterior motives!"

The two laughed together but were interrupted by distant sounds of trouble. Marinette could hear cars honking, faint screams, and saw birds flocking away from the source of the commotion.

"Should we see what's going on?" Tikki asked.

"Yes! I need something to take my mind off of this. Tikki, spots on!"

Alya ran around the corner and was greeted by, in her opinion, a marvelous sight.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were standing side-by-side in the street in a stand-off with a rather small akuma. It looked like a little girl wrapped in brightly colored blankets, but the blankets shot out in every direction and grabbed victims tightly, covering their eyes. She called herself 'Miss Belief,' and was giving illusions of worst fears to unfortunate victims on the street. People stood screaming in fright from threats that didn't even exist.

"Hey lady, paws off these people!" Chat Noir yelled, but the akumatized little girl simply ignored them.

"No one will ever make fun of my fears anymore! You can't escape my nightmares!" the girl yelled, claiming a couple more victims in her blanketed rampage.

Alya slowly crept forward with her camera, zealously taking photo after photo for her ladyblog. She crept slightly too close though, as the akuma turned and set her sights on the approaching blogger.

"Alya, no!" Ladybug yelled, but before the blanket wrapped around her, Chat Noir jumped in the line of fire and was taken captive. Alya screamed at the sudden attack. Fortunately, Chat Noir had been ready, for his activated Cataclysm dissolved the blanket wrapped around him. It just so happened that the blankets were all interconnected, and the akumatized girl fell backwards to the ground, releasing her victims and a dark butterfly in the process. Ladybug was up next and did what she did best.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she yelled. The streets of Paris magically returned to their previous state.

The victims of the attack cheered for the superheroes as they pounded their fists together. Alya ashamedly stepped forward.

"Chat Noir," Alya began, "I'm sorry about getting too close. Thank you for jumping in the way."

The super duo turned around to look at Alya, who had put her camera away, defeated.

"Don't worry about it, Alya. It's all in a day's work!" Chat Noir reassured. His miraculous beeped, cutting the conversation short. "Well, I'm off milady, time for my cat nap!" He gave Ladybug an exaggerated wink, crouched down, and hurtled away over the rooftop of a nearby apartment. Ladybug and Alya were left in the street, standing only a few feet apart.

"Alya," Ladybug started, "Please be careful! I know you are dedicated to the followers of your ladyblog, but don't get yourself into danger because of it!"

"I'm really sorry, Ladybug. I'll try to be more careful next time." Alya felt terrible. First her conversation with Marinette, and now she was being scolded by Ladybug? The day would never end. She hung her head and kept her gaze pointed at her feet.

Ladybug grabbed Alya's hands in her own and lowered her voice.

"Hey. It's okay. You're okay. You're safe." She reassured her in a soft tone. "You are awesome, Alya! Chat Noir and I love your blog. Keep up the good work."

Alya looked back up and saw an overwhelming look of appreciation from the blue eyes under the mask. She immediately felt safe, almost familiar, to a point that made Alya pause. She knew that look. She just couldn't put her finger on it. She knew that voice!

Her blood ran cold.

That's when she saw it.

The flour.

There was flour on Ladybug's cheek.

Flour exactly where Marinette had earlier, when she kissed her mom's cheek.

There was the flour.

The eyes. The hair. The voice. It all matched. She inhaled sharply.

She wasn't in the street with just Ladybug. She was in the street with her best friend.


	3. Chapter 3: Femme Fatale

Chapter 3

"No. Freaking. Way." Alya hissed.

"That's why I chose you to have the fox miraculous, it's nice to have someone else on the team! Even though it isn't a full-time position." Ladybug continued her train of thought.

"How did I not see it? How did I never notice this? What. WHAT?" Alya's voiced alarm finally grabbed Ladybug's attention.

"What?" Ladybug questioned.

"WE NEED TO TALK. IN PRIVATE." Alya demanded, adding on the need for privacy when she remembered they were standing in the middle of the street.

"What's wrong, Alya?" Ladybug asked, concerned.

"Now!"

"But, my miraculous-," Ladybug reminded her, hearing the beep of her earrings signaling the ending of her transformation.

Alya leaned in next to the superhero and said in the softest voice she could muster, "Now, Marinette."

No further discussion was required. Ladybug grabbed Alya and quickly made her way to her rooftop terrace, glanced around to make sure no one had seen them, and snuck through the door into her room.

"Spots off." Ladybug said, with unveiled trepidation in her voice. Tikki emerged from the transformation and looked quickly between the two girls.

"Where do I even start?" Alya said, rooted to the spot.

"What gave me away?" Marinette asked, afraid to make eye contact with her best friend. Tikki remained silent, unsure of what to do.

"The flour on your cheek. The hair, your voice, gosh, everything! How did I NOT see it!"

"If it makes you feel better, no one else knows."

"Nobody?"

"Nope."

"Not even Chat Noir?"

"I don't even know who he is!"

"Wow." Alya said quietly, letting the world of information sink in.

"Are you mad?" Marinette asked, finally risking a peek at Alya from across the room.

"This…is… AMAZING! MY BEST FRIEND IS LADYBUG! AHHHHH!" Alya yelled suddenly.

"Shhh! My parents are downstairs!" Marinette hushed, fighting back a grin.

"Don't you know what this means? We get to fight crime together! I can get interviews for the Ladyblog whenever I want! Do you have any suspicions as to who Chat Noir is? I have 26 main theories that I've been running over-"

"Whoa, there. Slow down. This is all really new to me, having someone else know!" Marinette sat down on her desk chair.

Tikki cleared her throat.

"Oh right!" Marinette jolted upright, turning to her kwami. "This is Tikki, my kwami."

"It's a pleasure to meet Marinette's best friend! I've heard so much about you!" Tikki smiled, flitting over to Alya.

"Wow. WOW. Hi, GREAT to meet you. I have sooooooo many questions for you two."

Tikki laughed, and the girls settled into a very long and much overdue conversation spanning several hours.

* * *

"So girl, you've got to let me know… are you dating Chat Noir?" Alya finally asked after an interrogation that would put any police department to shame.

"NO! No, no, no, absolutely not. Adrien is the only one for me."

"Unless Luka had something to say about it…" Alya added, offhandedly.

"Alya!" Marinette whined.

"Fine, fine, Adrien is a dream boy, and in case that doesn't pan out you have a hot guitar player and a skin-tight cat suit clad superhero at your beck and call."

Marinette didn't even bother answering, her eye roll was enough. Over the span of a few hours, Alya had essentially asked about every single akuma attack since the beginning, how she became ladybug, Hawkmoth, and even finer details like what the suit felt like.

"Now that I know, does that mean I can be Rena Rouge more often?"

"Sorry Alya, I'm actually not the one in charge of that. Speaking of which, now that you know, I need to tell… someone about it."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure how much I can say, but there's someone who basically is in charge of all this. I need to go visit him and clear up what I should do now that someone knows."

"Can I come?" Alya asked.

"Not yet. I need to do this on my own, sorry."

"Fine," Alya huffed, "but hey, no more secrets between us. I want to be there for you, 100 percent. Your secret is safe with me. You can even have a say over what I post on the Ladyblog!"

"I would certainly hope so. Thanks, Alya. I'm so glad we're best friends." Marinette sighed, relieved. "I should head out for patrol, and you should head home; it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow in class?"

"Yep! Wow. I sit next to Ladybug in class!"

Marinette had already transformed and was heading out to her rooftop when she called down "Stop that!"

"This will never stop being cool, Marinette!" Alya laughed, watching as her friend took off to the Paris night sky.

* * *

The next day was full of anticipation for Alya. She showed up to class thirty minutes early out of pure excitement. She nearly fell out of her chair when Marinette walked into class. Everything felt new and exciting, so she was a little disappointed at how normal Marinette was acting. A few minutes before class began, Nino and Adrien walked through the door. Marinette's posture stiffened and Alya waved at Nino who smiled back in return.

"Hey Alya, is the movie still on for tomorrow? We never heard from you last night." Adrien asked, setting his bag down on the table.

"Oh shoot. Sorry, I forgot to send you the details. I was a bit…distracted last night." Alya explained, eyes darting to Marinette. "I'll go through the plan at lunch."

"Alright class, let's begin! Pull out your homework from last night." Miss Bustier announced, walking into the classroom as the bell rang.

The group turned forward in their seats and quickly rummaged through their bags for the assigned work. Class normally went by fairly quickly for Alya. She loved Miss Bustier's lectures and often was left wanting more. Today was different. Minutes felt like hours. Sitting next to her super hero best friend proved to be far more distracting than initially thought.

* * *

Alya, Nino, and Adrien were sitting at a table eating their lunches while Marinette went to her locker to get her lunch. Alya normally dominated the conversation, but today she was unusually reserved and lost in thought. She only really started listening when she heard Nino say,

"Well, Alya and I are going to the dance together. Who do you plan on asking?"

"I'm not sure if my dad will even let me go." Adrien complained, picking at his salad with a fork.

"I bet you'd go if you asked your femme fatale along." Nino winked, a smirk playing across his features.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Nino." Adrien responded through clenched teeth, kicking his friend's leg under the table.

"Ow! Dude, that hurt." Nino protested, rubbing his leg.

"Wait, Adrien, you like someone?" Alya interjected suddenly, leaning forward and gripping the table for support. Adrien stayed silent.

"Let's just say you're not the only Ladybug fan at the table." Nino said under his breath.

Adrien kicked Nino harder.

"Pffft!" Alya tried to contain her laugh at the overwhelming irony of the topic, considering she happened to know for a fact that Ladybug was the biggest Adrien fan in the country.

"Hey, don't make fun of me Alya!" Adrien objected, with a tragic smile, "and I don't like her like that. I just think she's really cool. She saved my life a couple times. I don't expect the hero of Paris to want to go with me to a dance."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Alya said without thinking.

"What was that?" Adrien asked.

"Oh, nothing." Alya caught herself quickly. "I don't think Marinette has plans yet. You could always ask her."

"Who doesn't have plans?" Marinette asked, arriving at the table at that moment.

"Oh, Alya was just telling Adrien how you need a date for the prom." Nino informed her while preparing to take a large bite from his burger.

"Ow!" Nino exclaimed, being kicked by Alya this time and almost dropping his burger.

"Wha… I mean, well I do need a drom pate… I mean prom date, I mean, but you're not my date! Not that it wouldn't be nice to go with you, you're great! I mean, we're all great! I mean-"

Adrien chuckled, and Marinette joined in nervously.

"I don't even know if I can go yet." Adrien reminded his friends.

"Hey, so for this weekend. I was thinking we could meet for the movie at 5 and then get dinner afterwards." Alya said, changing the topic quickly. The friends nodded in agreement for the plan.

"I'm excited to have movie theater popcorn. That sweet buttery goodness is the only thing that can get me through the four different post credit scenes." Nino gushed.

"The only thing? You'll be sitting next to me, remember? Doesn't being with your girlfriend get you through a movie?"

"How could I forget?"

"I won't let you forget."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

The flirting continued for a while. Adrien and Marinette both were dearly wishing they had more friends at the lunch table.

* * *

"Hey Alya, can you hear me? I'm a little early but I'm at the theater. When do you think you'll be here? Should I get tickets?"

"Marinette! Hey, I'm glad you called. I wanted to tell you a couple of tips before the movie starts." Alya declared over the phone static. "Is Adrien there yet?"

"No, but I'm sure he'll be here soon. What's going on?"

"Okay. So, don't freak out. But Adrien has a crush on someone."

Marinette could feel the world going dark and a suffocating stillness bringing her breathing to a halt.

"Wha-" she was able to muster.

"He has a thing for, get this. Ladybug. Nino told me."

Marinette still couldn't breathe, but for an entirely different reason. Her face went as red as her miraculous suit.

"He likes me?" she choked out.

"Yep! He just doesn't know it! Isn't that great?"

"I guess? Except he can never know I'm… you know, her." Marinette said, lowering her voice around the theater patrons.

"Well, It's half the battle. Anyway, Nino and I won't be able to make it to the movie. He's not feeling well."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, nasty little bug. I'm making soup right now."

"That is such a lie, Alya. Get down here now!"

"No, Nino is so sick. Nino, tell her how sick you are!"

Marinette heard very fake coughing over the phone.

"Alya."

"Okay, so he's not sick. This is a perfect opportunity though! You're going to the movies with Adrien and then getting dinner. A flawless second date after running around Paris with him being chased by his fans."

"That wasn't a date!" Marinette urged.

"Come on, Mari. Don't leave Adrien hanging. I already texted him and told him I'm 'taking care' of Nino tonight. He should be there any minute. You've got this!"

"I don't have this! Alya, wait!"

"Got to go, girl. This figurative soup won't cook itself."

"Alya!"

"Bye!"

The phone clicked and Alya hung up before Marinette could argue more. She felt slightly bad for tricking her friend, but those two were absolutely clueless and needed some divine intervention in order to get the wheels rolling.

"I wanted movie popcorn." Nino lamented.

"Hush." Alya shook her head, setting down the phone and going back to the movie they were watching at home.

* * *

"Marinette! Hey!" Adrien called, waving to her amongst the crowd.

Marinette turned to see Adrien getting out of his car and making his way over. He was dressed casually, but in her eyes he emitted a soft, golden glow that warmed her to her core.

"Hey Adrien!" She managed, luckily having a few moments before he arrived to calm herself down. She tugged on one of her pigtails to release her nerves.

"So I heard Alya and Nino can't make it anymore. That's too bad."

"Yeah, I hope Nino feels better soon."

"Yeah, me too."

They stood in silence for a beat.

"So…" They both said in unison. Adrien's bodyguard took that moment to step forward, towering over the both of them. He held out two tickets.

"Ah, thank you." Adrien grabbed the tickets and handed one to Marinette.

"Well, shall we go find seats?" he asked, pointing to the theater.

"Sure, sounds great!"

Marinette vowed that Alya would not get away with this.


	4. Chapter 4: Diamonds Are Forever

Chapter 4: Diamonds Are Forever

The dark theater was fairly crowded, but they had managed to find space toward the back of the audience. Adrien's bodyguard sat intimidatingly behind them and gave menacing glances to any fans who happened to spot Adrien. Meanwhile, Marinette felt like the entire room was being electrified. Adrien, who was sitting on her left, was smiling peacefully, unaware of the fire Marinette felt on her skin when she occasionally brushed his arm. She was utterly unaware of the trailers playing on the screen. The only thought consuming her was the fact that her arm was currently millimeters away from Adrien Agreste. If she moved just barely, their arms would be touching. If she inched her hand slightly to the left, they would be holding hands. The originally chilly theater suddenly felt very hot. She peeked over to look at his face. His current affect revealed not a care in the world. To escape her mental combustion, she moved her arm and nervously tugged on her pigtail.

Adrien glanced over to his right. He was disappointed that Nino and Alya couldn't come along, but he was very excited to see Marinette outside of school. Ever since their rocky start with the gum-on-the-seat debacle, he was worried that he would never be friends with the girl, but since then they had become really close. He couldn't help but admire her; she was a natural-born leader, could create anything in terms of designs, kicked his butt in video games, and everyone seemed to love her. In fact, he was slightly intimidated by her. When he had been Chat Noir, she had revealed to him on the rooftop he prepared for Ladybug that she was recovering from heartache. He wondered who had managed to break Marinette's heart. It was hard to believe she couldn't have anyone she wanted. In some ways she reminded him of his Ladybug. Adrien sighed and gazed up at the ceiling. Ladybug was the most amazing person he had ever met, so when she didn't show up for his romantic rooftop evening, it confirmed Adrien's worst fears. He wasn't good enough for the famous Parisian super hero, even if he was her partner. Ladybug had said there was a boy. Who on Earth was he? Images of a tall, tan, muscular man flashed through his mind, riding a motorcycle with Ladybug giggling on the back. Annoyance flitted across his face.

"Hey, Adrien, I like your ring. Where did you get it?" Marinette asked, peering at his right hand.

"What? Oh, this? Um, my Chinese tutor gave it to me?" He replied in what sounded more like a question than an answer.

"Are you…that close to your Chinese tutor?" Marinette asked, confusion abundant on her face.

Adrien silently cursed. That was a stupid thing to say. Master Fu had only just arrived at his house the other day after Paris flooded, and after learning about the Guardian of the Miraculous, it was the only explanation that popped into his mind.

"Uhh….Yep! We go way back."

"Oh. That's cool."

Marinette seemed to accept the answer. Adrien sighed in relief and turned to look at her.

"I like your earrings! You wear them a lot; were they a gift?" He complimented back.

Marinette's cheeks flushed, and her eyes widened as she returned his stare. Adrien couldn't help but notice how blue her eyes were, even in the dim theater.

' _How could she have a broken heart_?' He thought.

"Oh thanks! They… were… a gift! Yes. Gift. That."

"Who are they from?" Adrien asked, genuinely curious. Perhaps they were from the boy that seemingly brought her grief.

"They are a gift? From… my dad! Yes. My dad gave these to me. These are a gift from my dad."

"Well, your dad has good taste!" Adrien beamed. Marinette reddened in response, and he suddenly could feel butterflies in his stomach. He paused.

 _'Huh.'_ He thought.

That was a feeling he had only felt around Ladybug. Why was he feeling it here, when Marinette was just a friend?

He watched her nervously tug on her hair. He completely understood why everyone liked her. Even Nino had a crush on her before Ladybug trapped Alya and him in a cage together at the zoo. She was cute and wonderful and-he abruptly stopped his train of thought when the theater further darkened and the movie's theme song signaled the start of the movie.

* * *

Two-and-a-half hours later, the movie ended and the audience filtered out into the evening streets of Paris. Street lights had already flickered on and the sidewalk shone with a yellow glow that could make any cold night feel warmer. Marinette and Adrien, followed by his bodyguard of course, made their way down the few blocks to the restaurant that Alya had so kindly reserved for them.

"I still think they need more female superheroes in the franchise," Adrien reflected, "We've all seen how much everyone loves Ladybug, so why can't the ladies get their own movies?"

Marinette laughed at his resolve, appreciating his passion for the subject.

"I don't know. The people of Paris may love Ladybug, but they can't seem to get over the charm of Chat Noir."

Adrien smiled. "Are you a Chat Noir fan?" He could help but think of the times he had been with her as Chat Noir. She seemed so different around him then. She didn't stumble over her words, she was confident, and so endearing. He wondered what was so special about Chat Noir that seemed to put Marinette at ease.

"I wouldn't say a fan…" Marinette trailed off, thinking through her answer. Adrien frowned.

"I would say he's a friend. Someone I trust."

"I didn't realize you two were so close."

"Well, not really. We've only met a few times. I think the only person close to him is Ladybug. Maybe Rena Rouge, too."

"Looks like we're here!" Adrien said suddenly, pointing up at the restaurant. Adrien turned back to his bodyguard, who nodded, and took up his post just outside of the restaurant. He held the door open and gestured for Marinette to lead the way.

"Hi, we had a reservation for four under the name Alya Césaire, but there's only two of us." Adrien greeted the hostess.

"Bienvenue! We have a table listed here for two under that name, not four. Is that correct?"

"Of course the reservation is for two." Marinette muttered under her breath.

"Oh, yeah, that works. Thanks." Adrien replied. They were led to a table in the corner of the restaurant. Marinette took a moment to appreciate the ambiance Alya had selected for the night. Candles were stationed at every table in the restaurant, with beautiful flowers adorning the walls. The lighting was dim and romantic, and lovers were dotted around the restaurant sharing wine and kisses alike. It smelled wonderful, like fresh seafood seasoned with Meyer lemon and rosemary sauce sautéed to perfection. She could already feel her mouthwatering.

Adrien glanced out the window where he could see his bodyguard's unwavering eye contact. He smirked when he thought of the reports his father would receive on the night's events.

"I feel a bit underdressed." Adrien admitted.

"Same," Marinette agreed, "I think Alya undersold this place just a bit."

They both fell into a comfortable silence as they glanced through the menu, until unexpectedly an accordion broke the gentle murmurs filling the restaurant. A violinist joined, and music filled the restaurant with traditional French songs to accompany their dining experience. Marinette rolled her eyes. Alya was not holding back in her choice of dinner venue.

"Wow. This is really nice." Adrien commented.

Both Adrien and Marinette decided upon pasta dishes, which they looked forward to with empty stomachs. Marinette was relatively impressed with herself; they were having completely normal conversation without any nervous sweating. It was truly an accomplishment. When their food arrived, they both eagerly devoured their meals and chatted about their plans for the next day.

Just as Marinette started her favorite macaron-related anecdote, gasps followed by silence from across the room caught the attention of the restaurant. A handsome man dressed in a dark navy suit was down on one knee, with a glistening engagement ring on display to a shocked, beautiful red-headed woman.

"Will you do me the honors, mon amour, and marry me?" He asked, loudly enough for the restaurant to hear. Couples "aww"ed around the room.

"How romantic!" Marinette professed, leaning her face onto her hand as she gazed on at the couple. Adrien chuckled.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I'd want to ask in such a public space," he noted, tilting his head over at someone who had taken out their phone and started filming, "What if she says no?"

As if on cue, the woman burst into tears and ran out the restaurant shaking her head. Marinette's jaw dropped and she looked over accusingly at Adrien.

"Look what you did! You jinxed it!" she whispered. The restaurant fell into an awkward silence as the man solemnly got up off his knee, refusing help from a nearby waiter, and sat down at his table with his head held in his hands.

"I did no such thing." Adrien defended himself. They both returned their gaze to their pasta and avoided staring at the miserable man across the room. What they didn't notice was a small, dark butterfly floating in silently though a window, making its way to the rejected man.

They did notice, however, when abruptly, the man was swarmed in a purple light and transformed into a massive diamond akuma hovering over the frightened diners.

"There is nothing dear in this world! Say goodbye to the ones you love!" the akuma yelled over the screams of couples ducking under their tables.

Marinette and Adrien quickly turned to look at each other with wide eyes.

They both froze in place for a moment.

"Run!" They screamed in unison.


	5. Chapter 5: Curiosity Killed the Chat

Chapter 5: Curiosity Killed the Chat

The akumatized man appeared to be entirely made out of diamond, with long dagger shards for arms and legs that held him high above the ground. His eyes glowed blue and shot concentrated beams of light toward the hearts of his victims. Couples around the restaurant scattered, but the unlucky ones hit by the akuma attack immediately began sobbing what appeared to be tears of diamonds, which slowly started encapsulating their bodies in the shimmering, unbreakable mineral. They were being trapped within their own tears.

Adrien's bodyguard quickly ran inside, but was swiftly hit by the akuma, leaving him paralyzed with grief.

"No one will escape the pain I feel! Everyone in Paris will know the agony of a broken heart!" The akuma cried, breaking down the walls of the restaurant and releasing his reign of terror on the city.

Adrien grabbed Marinette by the hand and raced her out the back door through the kitchen. The dark alley was littered with garbage bins and boxes, perfect to transform behind. There was only one small problem.

"Adrien, we have to get out of here! I know a good hiding place, follow me!" Marinette insisted in a hushed tone. Still holding each other's hand tightly, they raced through narrow corridors between buildings until they happened upon a small park shoved between apartments.

"There's public restrooms over there. I think we should hide in them."

"You want to split up?" Adrien balked out of instinct, but then, realizing he needed to transform, agreed. "Right. That sounds good. Just stay in the restroom until I come get you."

"Same to you. Stay put!" Marinette ordered, running into the stalls without a glance back. Adrien was stunned; Marinette had never spoken to him with such authority. He followed suit and ran into the men's restroom. Normally he wouldn't want to split up and just keep running back home, but he needed to get back to the akuma.

"Alright, Plagg. Let's do this quietly, Marinette is next door. Claws out!"

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette said in a whisper.

The two transformed hastily in their respective restrooms. Ladybug ran out and leapt quickly to a nearby rooftop. About twenty seconds later, Chat Noir emerged from the building and flipped up into the air to jump along a nearby trellis onto a roof. Much to his surprise, Ladybug was right there on the rooftop next to him.

"Fancy meeting you here, bugaboo! Were you following me?" The answer was obviously a no, because Ladybug nearly stumbled off the roof in surprise. Chat Noir quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back onto a flatter portion of the rooftop.

"Careful, milady, cats have nine lives, but I don't know about bugs."

"Thanks. How did you get here so quickly?" Ladybug asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I could ask you the same thing, milady. Care to tell me what you were doing this fair evening? I'll have you know, I can be quite purr-sistent; I haven't given up. You weren't out on a date tonight, were you?

"Eyes on the prize, kitty." Ladybug changed the subject, pointing out towards the horizon where the akuma was visible. "We've got more important matters at hand."

"So you were on a date?" Chat Noir continued to tease, waggling his eyebrows at his partner.

"I wouldn't call it that. Let's go, I'll take the North approach, you come from the South!" Ladybug took off before Chat Noir could ask any more questions. Chat Noir couldn't help but sympathize with the expression "curiosity killed the cat."

"A date, huh?" Chat Noir sighed, and quickly glanced back to the restroom where Marinette was hidden. He needed to hurry up and get back before Marinette realized he was gone. He didn't like the idea of leaving her there alone. Deftly, he followed his partner toward the source of commotion.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, feel hurt you've never imagined! I, Le Diamant, will take your miraculous!"

"Chat Noir, now! The ring box!"

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted, leaping toward the akuma who had Ladybug trapped under a shell of diamond. His hand landed perfectly on the akuma's source, shattering the diamond around ladybug, and releasing the butterfly from the akumatized man.

"All yours, milady!"

"Time to de-evilize!" his partner exclaimed, grabbing the butterfly in her yo-yo. She released the butterfly purified and white, and returned Paris to a quiet night free of akumas. The poor man from the restaurant thanked the heroes profusely.

"How did you know it was the ring box, milady?" Chat Noir asked, completing their post-battle fist bump ritual after the victims started heading home for the night.

"Well, this time I actually saw it happen, right from the start." Ladybug said without thinking.

"You…you witnessed it?" Chat Noir asked, rooted to the spot.

"Yeah, I did. Why?"

"No reason, milady. Good thing you were there." He replied, trying to keep his voice level. "We should probably head out. We're about to transform back."

"You're right. Good night, kitty cat." She gave him a wink and turned to take off back in the direction she came. She noticed with a bit of annoyance that her companion was following her course.

"Chat Noir, remember that secret identity talk we had? You can't follow me back." She called out to her partner.

"This is the direction I came from, though." Chat Noir called back, as the two heroes continued to jump from roof to roof.

"Chat! Come on!"

"Fine, fine, you go on, I'll look the other way. See ya, bugaboo."

Chat Noir ducked into an alley just in time, as his transformation broke the minute he touched down on the cobblestone street. Plagg groaned with exhaustion and flew back into his beloved cheese pants pocket to recover from the latest battle. Adrien was about a minute or two from where Marinette was hiding; he would just need to run back quickly.

Ladybug made it back to the restroom with seconds to spare before Tikki released the transformation.

"Marinette, you have to be more careful! You told Chat Noir too much today, what if he had been in the restaurant?"

"The chances of that are pretty slim, don't you think, Tikki?"

"Marinette…" Tikki insisted.

"I know, you're right. It just slipped out! Sorry. Tonight is making my brain crazy!"

"It's okay, Marinette. Just be more careful."

"Oh my goodness, I almost forgot about Adrien!" Marinette held her purse open for Tikki who quickly flew inside out of sight.

"Adrien?" Marinette called out, "They've announced on the news the all clear for the akuma attack. Are you still in the bathroom?" Silence followed. "Adrien?" she repeated. Still nothing.

"What should I do?" Marinette asked, just loud enough for Tikki to hear.

"Let's just give him a minute. Maybe he needed to use the bathroom?" Tikki suggested. Just then, she heard running footsteps from across the street and looked up to see a rather disheveled Adrien Agreste sprinting toward her.

"Marinette! Are you alright?"

"Adrien! There you are. When did you leave?"

"Oh, um, I wanted to find my bodyguard."

"You went back in the middle of an akuma attack? Did you find him?"

"Yeah. Sorry I ran off. He's okay, he was hit by the akuma though. Good thing Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up."

"Well, I'm glad he's okay. Are you okay?"

"A bit shaken up. If it's alright with you, I think we should probably head home for the night. I don't want your parents to worry."

"That's probably smart." Marinette agreed, realizing her night was almost over with Adrien. "Let's walk back."

On the way to the restaurant, the two were fairly silent.

Adrien's mind was racing. Ladybug was usually so careful about hiding her identity, but she had revealed she was present at the beginning of the akuma attack. Had she been in the restaurant? There was an unease creeping into the pit of his stomach. He tried to remember the people he had seen eating, but all that sprang to mind were the countless couples who likely frequented the establishment for a Saturday date night. Had Ladybug been there with a date? He had to fight the wave of jealousy briefly before he recalled what she had said to him.

 _'I wouldn't call it that._ ' She had said. So she was there, but not on a date? He couldn't wrap his head around the situation. Had she seen him? Did she know who he was, but wasn't telling him? She knew who Rena Rouge was, but from what he could ascertain, the situation was slightly different with her. He shook his head to dispel the thoughts. Ladybug would tell him if she knew. She wouldn't keep secrets from him unless she absolutely had to. He would just need to trust her.

"Adrien? Are you sure you're okay? You're really pale."

"Huh?" Adrien had been so wrapped up in thought he hadn't realized they had already made it back to the restaurant. Adrien's bodyguard spotted them and immediately gestured to a streetcar ready to take them home.

"Sorry, I was just a bit lost in thought. Can we give you a ride home?"

"If it isn't too much trouble, that'd be great, but if it is, it's only a twenty-minute walk."

Adrien could help but laugh at her strong-willed determination to not be a hassle.

"It's almost ten in the evening, Marinette. You're not walking home alone. Come on, let's go."

"Tell me everything! How did you fight the akuma without Adrien noticing?" Alya was bouncing off the walls since hearing the news about Ladybug and Chat Noir's latest battle. She raced over to Marinette's house on her bike after taking photos for her Ladyblog at the scene of the attack.

"First of all, Alya, you are SO not off the hook for tonight's scheming. Second of all, Nino must be getting really tired of you running off in the middle of the night to take photos for your blog, especially on date night. It's not safe! Thirdly, it was completely a mess! I basically stuffed Adrien into the public restroom at that park we like and ran at the first chance I got."

"Ah, Paris, the city of romantic public restrooms, I knew there was a reason they put that on all the postcards."

"Alya! What was I supposed to do? Transform in front of Adrien?" Marinette huffed, plopping down on her lounge while Alya spun in circles on the desk chair.

"I mean, the boy has a fat crush on Ladybug, it wouldn't be the worst thing for him to see that."

"It was just such a weird night. Chat Noir showed up literally moments after I transformed; I was worried he saw me run into the restroom."

"Wait, Chat Noir was at the park where you transformed?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Was Adrien in the restroom?"

"During the akuma attack he left to look for his bodyguard, but yeah, he went into the restroom."

"So… let me get this straight. You and Adrien ran to a park. You both ran into restrooms. You came out as Ladybug, and seconds later Chat Noir showed up out of nowhere. And somehow, during the akuma attack, Adrien left the restroom and went to…the location of the akuma attack."

"What are you saying, Alya?"

"I mean, it's a bit of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"What was?"

"The fact that Chat Noir just happened to be there at that moment."

"Not another Chat Noir theory!" Marinette moaned.

"Mari, come on. This one is just too easy."

"How could Adrien be Chat Noir? That makes no sense. Their personalities are completely different."

"Is your personality the exact same when you're Ladybug?"

"No…but, this is different! Remember when Miss Bustier was akumatized and the kissy zombies took over? Adrien had already been kissed by the zombies way before Chat Noir did. He can't be him."

"Hmmm… I don't know, girl. As Rena Rouge, I'm the master of illusion. I know trickery when I see it. What if he had been faking it?"

"Adrien wouldn't do that."

"We can argue more about this later. I want to know how your date went with Adrien-Chat Noir-Agreste." Alya chuckled, kicking up her feet onto Marinette's exposed stomach to tickle her friend.

"Hey, you know how ticklish I am, no fair!" She threw off her friend's feet. "My non-date with Adrien-Not-Chat Noir-Agreste was…actually pretty great." Marinette admitted, blush creeping into her face.

"Yes!" Alya cheered, throwing her arms into the air. "I am the master of romance."

"I was actually able to hold conversation without tripping, falling, or horribly embarrassing myself."

"I am so proud of you, girl."

"Thanks, Alya. You're the best."

"Sorry, what was that? What did you say?"

"I'm not repeating it!" Marinette laughed, throwing pillow after pillow at Alya as she dodged them gracefully.

"Sorry, speak up!" Alya cackled.

"Plagg, Ladybug was at the restaurant. She knew about the failed proposal. And then she shows up just after I transformed? A rooftop right by the park? It's just a huge coincidence, don't you think?"

"I'm not allowed to say anything until Master Fu gives us the go ahead, Adrien." Plagg reminded him, just finishing his third mini cheese wheel that night.

"But Plagg. I've been thinking about it. We were so close tonight. We could've run into her! You saw who she was when we were fighting the Dark Owl akuma, did you see her tonight?"

Plagg thought back to the time Adrien and Marinette stood face-to-face with their eyes closed just to beat the Dark Owl. Tikki had made sure they didn't recognize each other by keeping them from talking. Plagg rolled his eyes.

"I don't know, Adrien. My memory is so hazy."

Adrien threw himself on his bed, arms stretched wide. "What a crazy night."

"You can say that again." Plagg agreed.

 _'This kid is blind.'_ He thought.


End file.
